Mass Effect: Infinity
by FableHeroess117
Summary: Based at the end of the ME: Ascension from the PoV of an OC quarian girl escaping her 'obsolete' people. Yuriness, action, violence - M for a reason! I don't own Mass Effect, it's universe or any cannon characters therein.
1. Chapter 1 Necessary Loss

Title: MASS EFFECT: Infinity

Author: Shay L. {FableHeroess117}

Category: Action/Romance

Rating: M for Mature

Series: Mass Effect

SPOILER ALERT

Disclaimer: Bioware owns the Intellectual Property _Mass Effect_ and all of its concepts therein. This fanfic is for entertainment purposes only and is not profited from.

Summary:

This fanfic picks up towards the end of Mass Effect: Ascension, written by Drew Karpyshyn, on the quarian ship the _Idenna_ right before they were boarded by Cerberus lackeys. In the Mass Effect timeline it's two or three months after the attack on the Citadel. There will be two main characters but for now you will see a young quarian named Altaea'Rit nar Idenna; who decidedly hates her own people for their lack of action to find a new home world in the last three hundred years since they lost theirs to the geth. The second MC will be presented in a later chapter. The plot will take some interesting turns and be very broad but true to the Mass Effect universe. There will be love, loss, battle and oh yes, there will be blood. ^_^ Note there will also be lesbian interactions, descriptive violence and remember that this is an M rated fanfic!

**Mass Effect: Infinity**

CHAPTER ONE - _Necessary Loss_

"Once you leave, you may not return to your birth ship, Altaea." Concern for quarian youths was usually unfounded, as they were in no immediate danger aboard their birth ships, but not when they were to leave for their Pilgrimage. Parents were only permitted, by law or captain's orders, to have one child; this was to ensure a zero-growth percentage in the quarian population. And though the right of passage sought after by almost all quarians was something of an exciting time for the family of the youths, some didn't take to the idea of their only child leaving. Especially Nahket'Rit vas Idenna - whose daughter wanted to leave for her Pilgrimage earlier than was normally permitted.

Pushing her mother's hand from her upper arm, where it had landed pleadingly as she spoke through her protective helmet, Altaea shook her head. "Mother, this is how it is meant to be. I do not conform to the mold of a typical quarian and I apologize. I feel an outcast in a place where our species were meant to feel welcomed." Sliding the omni-tool of her own design comfortably over her left forearm, the young girl returned her lavender gaze to her parent. "Please, don't make this any more difficult. The Pilgrimage brings advancements to our people and you should be proud that I wish to partake in my right of passage in an earlier stage of life."

The species damned for the illegal creation of AI laborers, the geth, measured time differently than most societies because they lived amongst a far-from-lavish Flotilla. They never had a sun or central star to measure day or night by and therefore measured time as it passed in technical displays all about their thousands of ships. They adjusted time so that Migrant Fleet ships were only ever fractions of a second different. In comparison to the human measurement of time - Altaea was leaving for Pilgrimage a whole two years early.

Whereas she said her wish to leave early was merely a sincere drive to bring more technology to her people; the young quarian wanted nothing more than to simply get away from them. They depressed and angered her. The way they sucked resources from other civilizations and considered it 'necessary'. Altaea had seen the logic in finding a new home world when she was a mere child, but never had she voiced the disgust she held for her people. Though she hated them - she wouldn't openly bash them and be banned. Not when she had one that she knew she could count on.

"Surely you understand the difficulty in letting one so young wander the vastness of the galaxy too early, Altaea. I'm not being irrational in assuming I have the right to tell you to wait and that your time will come if only you would sit and wait for it." The words were rushed as the elder quarian was scared her only child might push past to leave and not hear them at all. "You're not ready, Altaea."

The small cubical they knew to be their home on the medium-sized cruiser, the _Idenna_, was a space with three, twelve foot walls that reached three-quarters of the way to the ceiling and a cloth in place of a door. The area within was small, crowded and accommodations for the three person family were pathetic at best. Each family member owned a sleeping bundle, consisting of a make-shift sleeping bag and an inflatable pillow. Any belongings beyond that were seen as 'unnecessary' and even looked down upon.

The tools of their multiple trades on the ships they served were either kept on their person or put in a bin on the trading deck; a massive area of large crates and bins filled to their brims with 'unused' objects that every ship-member had the option to take, use and put back. Altaea, however, didn't like to give up her things to the trading deck because she had designed and built most of the tools herself. Especially her omni-tool - a gift from her dearest friend that came straight from Ariake Technologies; an electronics developer renown for their high grade omni-tools. Even before she made custom improvements to it, both parents urged her to share the gift with those who could use it while she wasn't. The discussions usually ended with them all fuming and Altaea's parents disappointed in their child's selfishness.

"I understand your concern, Mother. And I respect your opinion as much as that of Father or our Ancestors - but I'm ready now. I won't wait for my time to be dictated to me by another when I know I am capable of venturing out and making discoveries of my own." Many female quarians kept their hair long beneath their enviro-suits, but again Altaea did not fit the mold of a normal quarian. She preferred to keep her shimmery, dark blue hair short - only an inch in length. It always seemed to be either pressed down to her scalp by her helmet or spiked up sporadically from a three-fingered hand running through it.

"You know you should be wearing your mask at all times, little one. There are humans docked here, we've both seen them." The motherly tone of Nahket's voice did little to help her cause as Altaea only continued to pack the few things she had and shake her head.

"Yes, well, they've been wearing enviro-suits and I know for a fact that their ship was sanitized. I was down in the landing bay when the quarantine team went i-"

"What were you doing down there, Altaea?" Nahket cut her daughter off sternly, the parental tone overbearingly annoying if nothing else. "You weren't with _her_ again, were you?" Altaea made a groan and it gave away the answer to her mother's question. "What have we told you about being with her?!" Nahket's voice was raised and for a moment she looked as if she might lay a hand on her child in anger. "Your relationship with that woman is unacceptable, Altaea. It is not good for either of you **or** the population."

Though her tone had lowered somewhat, Altaea recognized that her mother was still seething behind her mask. "Who I spend my time with is my business, Mother. And who says it is wrong? Certainly you have not always felt happiest with my Father?" Sarcasm hung on every word as she retorted, her mother's body language changing to a sturdier and perhaps violent one.

"I love your Father dearly, Altaea. But it has nothing to do with this issue. You are well aware that she has a small son **and** a husband of her own. What would everyone think if you were to be caught on one of your little meetings? Surely Captain Mal would only see you are truly not ready for the responsibilities that come along with the Pilgrimage and looking after yourself." Pointing at Altaea, Nahket's voice fell to a harsh whisper and she sounded again on the verge of tears. "Don't think for a single moment I'm not aware of what you two are doing when you're alone."

Flustered, the younger of the two women growled out a quarian swear and took a step closer to her mother. "You mean when our helmets and enviro-suits are off." Slapping Nahket's pointing finger down out of her face, Altaea grinned wickedly, knowing well that this would not only disgust but anger her mother. "When we find a private place on this crowded vessel and hold each other's naked bodies?!" As she came to the end of her sentence her voice grew louder to silence her mother.

"When there are no eyes to watch us as we caress and kiss each other?" She made a small noise of pleasure then laughed at her mother's disgusted expression that she could make out just beyond the helmet she wore. Altaea pulled the protective helmet of her own enviro-suit down to clasp at the base of the neck and then slide the face-plated side into place before it too established an air-tight connection to the suit. Of all the people on the _Idenna_, Altaea was most commonly known as the one who wore her enviro-suit but not the helmet. The young girl, only seventeen in human years, hated the overlapped sound of the air-filtration-system blundering over her voice and creating the duality other species associated with the quarians. It was too common. Too normal. Too boring.

A moment passed in which Altaea grinned with self-satisfaction before Nahket found her voice again, only it had fallen to a sad and shakiness unmistakably similar to that of a parent scared of their own child. "You're not ready for your Pilgrimage, Altaea. The population may one day need to be increased, and I can guarantee that two women aren't capable of creating children without one being an asari. And as soon as possible I'm going to tell Captain Mal about your dishonorable relationship."

Anger filled her own voice as Altaea retorted quickly, "I've already spoken with Captain Mal and he spoke fondly of my wish to commence my Pilgrimage - it shows an initiative to improve our way of life. I will be far gone before worry of that relationship would even be considered by our Captain." The light purple and white head-dress that covered the air-intake hose and the back of Altaea's helmet slid into place and held fast on its designated clasps just above the misted face plate.

"The Captain has the right to commend you, little-one, but as your parent it is I who should be deciding when you leave the safety of the _Idenna_. And if necessary, I'll see that woman and her family put on another ship." Though the voice of her mother was doubled by the filter on her helmet and she couldn't see her face, the girl knew by the tone of voice that her mother was verge on tears. Having been long-time friends of Captain Mal's, there was no doubt that with some influence she _could_ have her lover's family moved to another vessel. "You don't even have the required skill-set to be on your ow-" Nahket was cut off.

"Stop it, Mother!" Standing just a few inches taller than her mother, Altaea looked across at her from the few feet that separated them easily, her three-fingered hands balled into fists. "I won't be spoken to this way any longer. I've gotten the Captain's commending, Father's blessings and it seems to me that only _you_ seem to be upset with my leaving early. In all the studies I've partaken in, I've risen ahead of those my own age and come out with exemplary knowledge of all the technologies amongst the Flotilla. I am more than capable of adapting to harsh living conditions, just like every other quarian. I have even put forth many upgrade concepts to the current technologies we have to the Captain by using what we've already got readily available! Perhaps if you weren't so set upon my age being a problem, you'd know these things!"

Many conversations like this one had come to pass over the previous days to this one, but of them all Altaea regretted this one the most. The young woman felt that even as she was moving forward she was being held back by the people she'd come to feel obsolete. Altaea was sick of the fundamentally weak people the quarians had become since losing their home-world to the geth. In her view, the only thing holding them back from claiming a new home-world was the idea of losing their beggary rights as they passed from system to system.

"All we do is feed off of other cultures and we don't press forward. Just adapt the old technologies into some warped compilation of what they started as. I won't be part of it anymore, Mother. I won't." Pulling the small pack of items given to her by the Captain over her shoulder, Altaea stared at her mother for one more moment. "As for the love I have for _her_,... It won't change anything if you got them sent away." A small smirk held on her features as she ran through her mind, thoughts of her time alone with her beloved - there wasn't a person or ailment in the world that could separate them.

A few milky tears fell from the lavender eyes of Nahket as she knew it was a losing battle with her only child. The child who, from a young age, had always felt their way of living inept and undeserved. The girl who had never once done anything that was conventional to the quarian way of doing things. Altaea'Rit nar Idenna was definitely one who stood out in a crowd though she physically resembled those of her species. And Nahket felt the loss already as she let the tribally marked, white and gray clothe fall back into place, closing them in their tiny cubical. "I'm sorry, Altaea."

She blinked away the milky tears and reached down to press a button on the floor that opened a magnetically sealed compartment. From inside the compartment she pulled out a Hahne-Kedar built assault rifle. An audible gasp was barely hidden by the air-filter of Altaea's helmet as she saw the weapon. "I know it's customary to give extravagant gifts when another leaves for their Pilgrimage but I only have this to give you." Coming to her full height again, Nahket held out the AR for her daughter to take and examine.

Upon the side where it once read the serial number of the weapon was a seared-in word, _'Miros'_. Which, translated roughly into trade-speak meant - origins, a word Altaea instantly planned to remove once free of the Migrant Fleet. "This was given to me by my father when I left the Grantrum for my own right of passage. I never used it once, and I hope in your time away you never have to either." The pain in her voice gave away that she recognized her daughter was leaving on the next frigate off the _Idenna_ and there was little she could do to dissuade her. "He would have been honored to have one so young in our clan seek their Pilgrimage."

Altaea took the AR gingerly and examined it from stock to barrel and back again, the movement taking up the rest of the space in the cubical. "Thank you, Mother." Her tone was bright and appreciative, though in her mind she wished only to get off the _Idenna_ and onto the nearest planet. In the last four years her opinions of her own species had become dark, detached and uncomfortable. She didn't like what she'd been born into and the fact that it was only in the last few years that her Captain and a few others had finally started considering a plan of action - sickened her.

Nahket handed her daughter the weapon's holster, a small, four pronged clip that held its designated weapon to the back of any enviro-suit. Altaea smirked behind her helmet and felt the blood rush to her face as she imagined using the weapon for the first time. _What an exhilarating experience that will be..._ The thought was forced from her mind as she reminded herself she had yet to leave her birth ship.

Collapsing the AR in a fashion that showed testimate to her knowledge of a multitude of technologies, Altaea attached it to its retainer now on her back then reached out and took her mother's hand. Turning the hand palm-side up, she traced a circle into it; a sign of never-ending appreciation and love from a daughter to her mother. "We shall meet again. Thank you, Moth-" The false gratitude was cut short as the ship-wide alarm sounded.

If her face hadn't been hidden behind her helmet, one might have noticed Altaea's expression change from one of forced happiness to grim anticipation as she waited for the speakers to explain the purpose for the alarm. Many times a ship's onboard alarm would go off if there were a maintenance problem, which would only further irritate the feelings she had for her own species, seeing as they couldn't even maintain an alarm system. But then again, if they were under attack - there were a whole new playing field of experiences to be had.

Standing stalk straight as the cacophony of voices pressed through the intercom, a broad grin overtook the young quarian's pretty features. They were under attack.

_"The _Idenna's_ external communication transmitter has been disabled by the _Cyniad_. Security teams are being urged to make their way to the landing bay. Civilians, please remain calm and move to the upper levels of the ship."_ The message repeated three more times before stopping altogether.

"We must do as they instructed, little one." Nahket grabbed her daughter's hand and proceeded to calmly, but hurriedly, make her way to the nearest staircase. Altaea yanked her hand roughly from her mother's and walked along side until they were joined by a mass of others who'd been in their cubicles. When opportunity presented itself, she slowed and then turned to weave her way back to the cubical they'd just left. Once she heard her mother's distraught yells disappear into the stairwell at starboard, Altaea slid back behind the make-shift door and crouched down.

_This is my chance. If I can prove myself against whatever enemy comes through from _Cyniad_ perhaps I can get mother to abandon her tireless worry about my capabilities. And furthermore - I can get away from these people with my beloved._ It was only moments later that the unmistakable sounds of AR and shotgun fire pressed through the aft staircase. Altaea was taking a few calming breaths to settle her excitement when she heard quarian security teams, four groups of three people each, weaving through the array of cubicles. As they passed her, Altaea peered from behind the curtain and noted a familiar woman on the tail end of the teams, she whispered silently, "Mieko."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Reaching out just as the woman passed, Altaea grabbed Mieko by the forearm and pulled her into the cubical. There were no other security officers behind Mieko, so there were no worries of them being caught, but the other quarian was certainly surprised when she was spun into a cubical and disarmed quickly. A small scream emanated from her air-filtration system until she was silenced by the younger woman before the other officers could be distracted from their descent to the trading deck below.

"Mieko, it's me. Shhh!" Handing the AR back to her lover, Altaea grinned as they both unclasped their face plates with a whoosh of air pressure and propped them back to look openly at each other.

"Altaea, you shouldn't be here! We've been boarded by turncoats." Mieko's usually sultry voice was harsh for a moment before she simply stared at the younger woman, having not seen her for two days. Kissing Altaea lovingly, she placed her gloved, three-fingered hand on Altaea's hip and held her close, the AR held steadily at her side. When they pulled away Mieko'Jaa vas Idenna gazed out into the isle from behind the cloth then back to her lover. "Why haven't you left for your Pilgrimage?"

The younger quarian giggled like a school-girl as she ran her two fingers down the others' front, her thumb, and only other digit, brushed over the many buckles and straps. Starting at her neck she moved them slowly between her breasts, over her sternum and then to her flat stomach where Altaea moved her hand around Mieko to pull her closer. "And leave without you, how silly." Altaea's lavender colored eyes met Mieko's gray ones and she knew there was something wrong. A flash of genuine worry passed over her feminine features, "What is it?"

"I can't go with you, Altaea." The shame and sadness on her face was apparent though occasionally interrupted by shock as another collection of weapons-fire found their ears. "I can't leave Varn and Malo. They depend on me too much." Her duty was to protect those aboard the _Idenna_ with her life if it came down to it, being a member of a security team. But she also had an obligatory duty to be a part of her husband and child's life. "I can't leave them."

Altaea took it in stride, putting on her charm and pressing herself against Mieko, her hands resting on her left cheek and right buttock as she forced the older woman against one of the three walls making up her cubical. "You can't tell me that you'll just forget what we have for the man you hate and a child you didn't want, Mieko. You're not being honest with yourself." Altaea spoke in a husky whisper as she barely brushed her cheek against the older quarian's, "Surely you would miss what we have."

Forgetting the danger they were in and her duties as a security officer, Mieko moaned against the girl she'd fallen in love with. The contact of their lips and Altaea's hand on her bare face was a shock to Mieko's senses. Due to wearing their suits for so much of the time, quarians were sensitive to physical contact - something that put a damper on their attention span should a moment like this arrive. "I..."

They had met during one of Altaea's weapons training courses and hit it off immediately, that was eleven human months ago. "But I-" Altaea bit gingerly on Mieko's tilted jaw in a fashion she knew the woman liked, being a masochist, another moan escaping the older's lips before they kissed again. Their lips parted only slightly as they kissed, a small exhalation paying testimate to the longing she had for Altaea.

They had spent the first few weeks in a simply platonic relationship that had one night moved to a physical level when Mieko invited Altaea to the landing bay to go through a practice run inspection on a small frigate. While the other security teams didn't always train young quarians for being officers in their future, Mieko had done so many times and felt Altaea was brash, confident and smart enough to be a security officer if she chose. After that day they grew more and more close, physically and emotionally, until they one day devised a plan to get away from the _Idenna_ and the other quarians forever.

"Come with me, Mieko." Altaea's voice was filled with love and passion as she spoke to the older woman, but her mind was whirring with other ways to remind Mieko that she should get away from their people. "Varn took you as a bride through necessity and bedded you against your wishes. Your son is one neither wanted nor acknowledged." The lavender eyed beauty let her lips brush the security officer's lightly before she continued, her hands wandering gently over Mieko's ribs and back, "They aren't what you want. I'm what you want. And we can't be together here, amongst these obsolete people. They hate love like ours, Mieko."

Mieko was about to pull off her helmet and start unclipping her enviro-suit when almost on queue a blast from the aft staircase brought back her senses. Gray eyes that moments before lulled half-open with physical need, were now wide open as she pulled away from Altaea and closed her face plate. "I've got to go. Please, stay here." Her hand brushed against Altaea's still exposed features before she left the cubical, her thoughts on both the danger at hand and the realization that she truly didn't want to remain with Varn or Malo. She loved Altaea and needed her more than anything.

With a small laugh of satisfaction, the young quarian closed her own face plate and conceded how fantastically their brief moment had passed. "There is no chance that she'll stay here with these people, now. She loves me and is mine. I won't let them keep and destroy her." Her possessiveness of the older woman was nothing abusive but something more akin to true love - Altaea knew that if she couldn't get Mieko away from her 'family' that she would only grow old, tired and warn out years before her time. It would eventually kill her like a quick breeze cuts out a flame. She would save Mieko and be with her, one day on a ship of their own.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The human girl that they'd passed a few human days before wandered past Altaea's cubical but changed direction on a whim and wandered to another staircase six isles over. Altaea paid little attention to her, but found that when she looked at the young human she felt a need to reach out and touch her, as if she were made of some simple but delicate material that needed watching and protecting. The feeling passed as she shook her head and the young quarian found herself staring bewildered at the human as she disappeared beyond another cubical. _I'll have to ask Mieko what she knows of humans... I've never experienced such a strange need before. _A scream and a slamming occurred right before voices were audible coming up the aft stairwell; the need to protect the young girl having already passed Altaea didn't budge from her position.

"They're coming up the staircase! Everyone be ready!" The words echoed down to where Altaea was kneeling in her cubical and she could here the patter of many sets of booted feet clambering about the cubicles to find cover. Since Mieko's departure she had loaded her new AR and held it at the ready, waiting for the opportune moment to use it against an enemy - hopefully a quarian one. "Targets incoming!"

Within seconds there was a barrage of gun fire and the security teams were being pushed back amongst the many cubicles for cover. Peering out Altaea saw two armed humans, one male, one female, who held position just beyond the stairwell door with their backs against two parallel cubicles. They offered up covering fire for another man as he came rushing from the stairwell door, keeping low to the ground and firing into the isle with a clearly superior weapon to those of the _Idenna_ officers.

Kneeling down on the balls of her feet where her two toes met at the base of her foot, Altaea moved her lowered frame just beyond the cover of the cubical wall and fired a short burst of suppressive fire down to the end of the six-cubical-long isle. The rounds met the female target and bounced off her kinetic barriers, leaving them depleted but not down. Though she had never previously fired the weapon, Altaea grew accustomed to its minimal kick back and appreciated the craftsmanship that went into the upgraded auto-targeting system. "Very nice."

Grinning wildly behind her mask, she fired three more short bursts of suppressive fire before a security team began to move towards her position and she decided to move. Thus far the enemy hadn't fired upon Altaea because she'd kept a good portion of her frame low to the floor and hidden by the clothe that served as her door. She took advantage of the fact and moved to the cubical opposite her own, tumbling with a nimble and practiced form into the small space and beyond the clothe door. Once there she checked her magazine and realized she still had plenty of ammunition to provide help and did just that.

"I could definitely," she fired from the cover of one of the cubical walls, hitting a male target's kinetic barrier and getting them low enough so that the last few bursts met his shoulder and he cried out in agony before hitting the floor. "get used to this." Most quarians were all about technology and how to use it for the purpose of amending the dying Flotilla. Altaea, however, had a naturally aggressive urge to use grand technologies to fight other species and prove supremacy over them. She was a born fighter.

But just as Altaea was getting into the swing of combat and adoring the rush accompanied with it, a familiar voice pressed through the back and forth weapons fire, "Altaea!? Where are you!?" The young quarian wasn't stupid enough to rush out and grab her mother as she came running down the isle, completely oblivious to the position of the enemy causing the whole commotion. "Altaea, I'm here. Come o-"

Nahket'Rit vas Idenna wore no armor or kinetic barriers. So when the hundreds of rice-sized pellets tore through her right shoulder and spun her about, there was nothing to stop them from almost cleaving her arm clean off.

Eyes wide with something akin to glee and curiosity, Altaea watched her mortally wounded mother wriggle on the floor in agony, her face only sticking out from behind the clothe door enough to give her a clear view. "Altaea." The woman cried out, her voice obscured partially by blood coming from her mouth and from the sheer terror as she realized what was about to happen to her. Nahket began to crawl across the floor towards the cover of a cubical with her remaining good arm, "Altaea!!"

"My name is her last word." _How fitting. _The young woman spoke the words in a cold and unpained tone that showed how little she really cared for the woman who took another deep breath to call out her daughter's name but was shot once again. The second barrage of pellets destroying her helmet, face, neck and chest with ease, leaving behind a pulpy mess of organic and technical matter.

_At least now she can't expose me and Mieko before we are able to leave this filth._ The thoughts would have been considered monstrous to every species who felt attachment to their parents - but Altaea didn't care. The detachment she'd become accustomed to had not only stretched to the quarian race in general, but also stained her relationship with her parents. _They were only a distraction. And now I've only got one left to think about. Though, to be honest, I'm sure he won't even notice I'm gone._ The thoughts were accompanied by a pensive expression, though one tainted by a smirk of selfish and somewhat dark happiness.

"She's finally dead."

The pulpy mess the had once been her mother was pushed from her attention as a burst of fire panged off one of the cubical walls where she was taking cover. Coming to her full height again, Altaea moved out into the open isle just enough to get a clear view of the human male who she'd shot earlier, run towards the stairwell door after his two other accomplices. Taking aim, the stock of the AR resting against her shoulder, Altaea fired a short burst that tore through the meat of his left calf.

A scream cut through the orders being belted out to follow the other two targets back to the trading desk. But the man was silenced forever as Altaea moved forward confidently amongst the security teams. She squeezed the trigger once to disarm him of the shotgun he reached for and again a spray of pellets savaged his frame, this time through the throat and chest. Arterial spray fanned up in solid flow and misted slightly in a cloud of maroon blood that hung on the air, the initial spray hitting Altaea across the face plate at a 45 degree angle.

Altaea took her first life. And the only thoughts that crossed her mind were those of exhilaration and a longing for more - she would do this forever if she could. _This is what life is supposed to be. Being superior to those around you and making them realize it only when you steal their last breath._ Breathing heavily she rushed past the dead human on the ground and followed the security teams down to the trading decks, only to be met by one of the humans the _Idenna_ had played host to and the two remaining targets - both dead. "Damn."

The human turned and they all started hurtling after him towards the landing bay door at the end of a long corridor, the ship he and his companions were confined to was docked at bay three. None were more surprised than he to witness two figures coming out of it.

"Hendel!" The female cried out, though by the looks of her as she grabbed her ribs, she shouldn't have yelled for her friend.

"The _Cyniad_." The male of the two figures cried out as he helped the female along, "The ship in bay seven. It's filled with explosives!"

Altaea found herself standing and watching the events unfold as though she were an omniscient bystander, the humans and quarians around her rushing about panicked as the human, Hendel and the other human male conversed quickly of the situation. She caught the code that would disarm the dual sync arming system, something Altaea had studied in her youth, and the fact that it would blow in two minutes time. Then the Captain ordered that they evacuate the landing bay.

A security officer near her grabbed Altaea by the upper arm and told her to run for the door that lead to the trading bay and help get everyone to the far end of the bins. Nodding, she collapsed her AR as she ran and found herself ushering others along before she had the wounded human female handed to her by the male, "Take her!" Altaea pulled the woman's arm around her neck and helped her labor along, two security officers following the man back towards the landing bay at a full run.

"Stop! Stay where you are!" The yells were ignored as the man and two quarians disappeared through the door to the landing bay.

It only took the few security teams that weren't following the man, Altaea and the wounded female a minute to reach the far end of the large trading deck, but the anticipation of a grand explosion was definitely lingering in the air as they waited. Her view was partially obstructed by the arterial spray of her first kill on her face plate, but Altaea turned and stared down the long corridor to the landing bay door anyway. She barely noticed when two quarians took the human female from her support and sat her on the floor, leaving Altaea to stare down the corridor with the other security officers.

Another minute passed and Altaea found herself worrying that the landing bay might be too damaged to allow her to leave with Mieko when they planned if the explosives blew. _If we can't leave together then we can't leave at all..._ Her lavender gaze wandered from the landing bay door to the people around her, the familiar lithe figure of her lover moving about with her security team caught her eye, and all were holding their breath. Some for different reasons, but all wanted the explosives to be disarmed.

As if on queue a voice rang out in the thick silence. "Grayson said two minutes. It's been two minutes... I think they did it!" The human female, Kahlee Sanders spoke up. She was the offering of Lemm'Shal nar Teslaya - something that had caught the attention of the entire _Idenna_ crew and Conclave.

The blonde woman was widely associated, by the quarians, with having been part of Saren's accomplishment in controlling the geth through a sentient Reaper ship named _Sovereign_. Though in truth, as Captain Mal and the Conclave had found in their inquiry; she was merely an outsider source in Saren's actions. All she knew of Saren's ability to control the geth was that it lay with _Sovereign_ and more ships like _Sovereign_ were possibly still within grasp if they were to seek them beyond known space.

Kahlee Sanders was a leading expert in the field of synthetic intelligence before her involvement with with an illegal research into true AI pulled her away. For some time she was drawn into a more self-redeeming occupation at the John Grissom Academy orbiting the human colonized planet, Elysium. To the quarians though, Kahlee was a tie to controlling the servants that forced them from their home-world in a vicious war that nearly destroyed their species. And since her arrival she had given the _Idenna_'s captain an unbeatable argument in his fight for long-distance enabled ships to venture out into unknown space in search of either other Reapers like _Sovereign_ or a new home-world.

In the seconds that followed Kahlee's outburst of glee, the human male, Grayson, had been brought back to the Trading Deck by his pursuers and was quickly followed by Hendel and Captain Mal. As the latter emerged from the landing bay door, a symphony of whoops and cheers shocked Altaea back to the present and she realized with a sigh that the plan to escape the _Idenna_ was possible once again. Walking about, the Captain of the medium-sized cruiser grasped the forearm of each person he passed as they did the same to him, a sign similar to the human handshake or high-five. "Well done!"

Hendel made his way quickly to Kahlee's side, though by the look of him, he was a bit off-balance and ended up sitting on the floor beside her. Their conversation went ignored by the young quarian, her mind lingering only on how the recent events would hinder her ability to get off the ship with the woman she loved.

Captain Mal approached Altaea from her right and laid a hand on her shoulder before she could even turn her face to acknowledge him and made her turn with a start, "You've served your people well, Altaea'Rit." The young quarian wanted to yell that he was not her people and that she had done this for Mieko and for the opportunity to take another living being's life within reason; she was no murderer, she was an exterminator of the obsolete.

"They were unaccomplished fighters, Captain." The words had a double meaning that completely evaded the Captain, and the smirk playing on Altaea's lips went unseen by the other quarians and humans as she sheathed her collapsed AR and turned to leave. "I'll go see to my mother, now."

"I'll go with her, Captain." The voice belonged to Mieko and Altaea found herself grateful that the one she loved was going to help her recycle her mother's belongings and burn her body. It was customary aboard quarian ships that the deads undamaged belongings be put into the populace's trading bins and their body be cremated and sent into space. The process was only laborious for the families due to emotional turmoil - but Altaea was only torn about what she should keep from her mother's things.

With a nod the Captain granted Mieko her request to assist the younger, but hesitated half-way through his second nod, "Wait, what's happened? Mieko'Jaa, what needs to be tended to?"

"Nahket was killed by one of the human infiltrators, Captain." Instead of the Security Officer, Altaea spoke up in a flat tone conveying little emotion other than to state the obvious. The elder quarian's reaction was a surprised widening of his eyes followed by an inability to speak and a coughing fit behind his mask.

"How could this be? Civilians were supposed to be evacuated from the cubical decks to the higher levels; we only went up one level beyond the trading decks!" Captain Mal's voice grew more and more angry with every word and the surrounding officers turned to listen to him, a tension growing in the air as they realized it was their job to protect any stragglers in the cubical decks. "Where did this happen?"

Standing with her slight but curvy weight on one leg, Altaea looked at the Captain as though to say 'it's not such a big deal', but her tone conveyed the well-practiced acting of sadness for the loss. "I was in my families cubical when the attack occurred. Nahket came looking for me during the blitz at the aft staircase and was killed while running down the isle adjacent to our cubical. She was killed quickly."

The idea of one of his oldest friends being killed quickly was no consolation and the fact that Altaea showed little expression aside from a slight waver of the voice over her mother's demise was frustrating. "Call her your mother, Altaea. Though she is dead she is still your parent and as such will be kept at the same status in label. Now," turning to the officers behind him and away from Altaea and Mieko, he began his verbal questing of what occurred on the cubical deck 1. "Who the hell was in charge of civilian evacuation?!"

Turning on her heels, Altaea wanted badly to take off her mask but knew the dangerous possibility that those killed in battle might be carrying deadly diseases. Having lived the last three hundred years aboard a vessel in the Flotilla, quarians had almost virtually no immune system and as such were very susceptible to serious disease. "Let's get this over with and be on our way as soon as possible, Mieko. I tire of these people."

As the two lovers made their way up the stairs, they heard the Captain belting out obvious frustrations and then orders to have quarantine teams clean up the bodies of their battle. None would be allowed to remove their masks or enviro-suits until the humans and dead were gone and their blood was cleaned from the walls. As they moved out of view of the others, they intertwined their three fingered hands and walked close to each other, a small disappointment welling inside both of them. There would be a ceremony for Nahket, Altaea would have to speak if her father didn't and the hardest part of all - Mieko would have to convince the Captain that she could better serve her species on a 'secondary Pilgrimage' of sorts. The latter would be no easy task, but with the determination the two had; it would be done in the next few days.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"...and never did she feel confined by the limited space aboard our ship, the _Idenna_, but rather called herself privileged to call it home." Onaen'Rit vas Idenna, the devoted husband of the late Nahket'Rit vas Idenna, wept silently behind his mask. The waver in his voice went ignored by the others standing by the ash-excretion port for the deceased quarian woman's death ceremony. There had been a turn out of both the Captain Mal himself and many from the Conclave ship who turned out for what humans call a 'funeral'.

"Nahket had once been a consideration for the Conclave due to her advantageous way of tinkering with not just our adopted technology but also with her way of dealing with an issue from all angles. A quality that had given her many friends, many of which gratefully hold presence here now. Thank you for seeing her off to the Ancestors." Taking his daughter's hand, Onaen blinked away the milky tears from his blue-silver eyes and whispered to his wife one last time, "I love you." Before pressing the discharge button that would expel her ashes into the blackness of surrounding space.

Altaea whispered too as the pressurized expulsion of her mother's remains sounded, only hers held no affection as her father's had. "Nes don palk nar kedos vor Nahket et tasi." Roughly translated to trade-speak meaning, "Never was I the child of a no-one named Nahket." A simple insult that would have been seen unnecessary, but in her mind, Altaea had to reiterate her hatred for the woman who nearly ended her early deliverance from the quarian Flotilla. The woman held no place in Altaea's heart, and her words would carry to the Ancestors as well - they were not her people, anymore.

As the ceremony came to a close, Onaen turned to his daughter and hugged her tightly before drawing a circle in her palm and leaving her standing before the ash-excretion port on the bridge of the _Idenna_. Those with the Conclave had moved to the Captain's ready-room and that left only Altaea and a few other of her clan standing there, though none spoke to Nahket's only child. Calm was about the area while the few of the Rit clan silently asked their Ancestors to watch over their own parents and/or children - let them not fall to the same fate. _How disgusting! Begging the long-since-dead for protection when you cannot provide it for yourself or your loved ones. Pathetic._ The thoughts were vicious enough but her facial expression behind her mask held place at a serene look, her lavender eyes a third of the way closed as she peered about the small group that now dispersed.

"I am not of these obsolete people."

Standing just close enough after approaching from her position near the small freight elevator, Mieko brushed her arm 'accidentally' against Altaea's, "_We're_ not of these obsolete people, love." The two gazed at each other and for a moment Altaea felt the closest to being away from the Flotilla as she'd ever remembered, before the intercom system declared that the ship carrying the humans was leaving the landing bay sounded. Coming back down to her frustrating reality, the younger of the two women lowered her head for but a moment, then lifted it to nod quickly at Mieko.

"You talk with Mal, Mieko. I'm going to attempt to get my father to give over any other weapons he might have for my** Pilgrimage**." The last word was spoken in an acidic tone, "Message me with his answer when you're finished. With any luck I'll be on the trading deck collecting goods for our trip."

Altaea wanted badly to lean in a kiss her lover but found it would be inappropriate due to where they were and completely impossible with their enviro-suit helmets on. She gave Mieko a quick squeeze on the arm that served as a sign of affection and the elder smiled behind her mask, small creases about her almond shape, gray eyes letting Altaea know she would contact her soon enough. "It shouldn't take long to convince him."

Their words had been just loud enough for the two to hear, but in the confined space there was room for error in judgment and a young quarian male at a nearby communication station peered over at Mieko interestedly. "Keep to your station, Vamis." Being a security officer, the man did as he was told, but as she walked past him, Vamis couldn't help but watch her move. The quarian had only been with the _Idenna_ for a few human months but already he'd taken a fondness to Mieko - a creature of his adoration that would never return his affectionate glances or compliments. To her, Vamis was invisible.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Captain I was wondering if I might seek audience for a moment." Mieko's naturally sultry tone was hardly hidden by the duality of her air-filtration system, "It concerns my duties on our vessel." The wonderfully fit physic Mieko possessed held position just inside the door of the Captain's ready-room, her gaze holding passively on the Captain only a few feet away behind his station.

Though his features were hard to see behind the misting of his face plate, Mieko could see his black brows furrow with inquiry, "What of your duties, Mieko'Jaa?" Pulling up a service file on the woman, twenty-four in human years, Captain Mal shook his head slowly after a quick scan. "It seems thus far you've served your ship well as a security officer. Aside from the incident during your pre-pilgrimage training years. Have you reconsidered your station aboard our vessel?"

Standing confidently with her hands clasped at her lower back in a resting stance, Mieko spoke to her Captain, "No, Sir. I wish to continue my Pilgrimage." The request was one rarely asked and even more rarely permitted.

Mal blinked at her with a brow raised for a moment, his gaze flashing back and forth between her personnel file and Mieko herself a few times. "Now, why would you want to do that? I remember your gift well, Mieko. A turian FTL engine component for our vessel - something greatly needed at the time."

"Yes, well, I feel that my time away from the Flotilla wasn't properly utilized, Sir. I feel, where I prospered in finding my gift for the _Idenna_, I was unable to suitably find that knowledge sought beyond our birth vessels. I don't feel as pride fully attached to the _Idenna_ or my family as I'm aware I should." The latter comment was a dangerous one to make, verging on the admittance to being anti-patriotic to the vessel or the race inhabiting it. "I understand I was given a full pardon once before, after gunning down another quarian during training, Captain. And since, I have pushed to find the potential within myself to move beyond my amateur mistake. Now, I ask that the pardon not go unwarranted and I be given the opportunity to greater understand the universe outside our Migrant Fleet so that I might greater long to be part of it."

When Mieko finished speaking the Captain sat back in his chair and tapped his thumb against his thigh, a sign she'd come to know as his way of thinking something over. "Mieko, the request you make is one few have either dared or wanted to ask." Leaning forward again, Mal rested an arm against the edge of his desk, "Do you know the ramifications to requests like these if they are seen as treasonous?"

The woman only nodded curtly, "I am fully aware that there might be consequences for my request. Though I feel that I have a chance to bring both knowledge and possibly another vessel into our Fleet, if only I could be given the opportunity. My husband will understand my longing for knowledge and will dutifully care for our child. I do not feel I was on my Pilgrimage long enough to have taken in the amount of understanding that I should have. I ask you, Sir, as a favor to consider my request pleading."

A stony moment passed in which the Captain stood, his back stalk straight as he examined her stance and then flashed open his omni-tool to press a series of orange, holographic buttons. Another silent minute passed before the omni-tool let out a small series of beeps Mieko recognized to be messages from an exterior source, "It seems that the Conclave feel I'm right in my decision." Twisting his arm and pressing his thumb to a holographic button to close the omni-tool, Mal closed the few foot gap between them and smiled behind his face plate.

"The request is one rarely seen amongst our people, Mieko. But I feel that if one wishes to move forward... - they should be given the opportunity." Any other Captain would have turned down the request almost immediately, but Mal was different in his way of thinking. He was one who firmly and openly believed that progress of the quarian species could be made only if the Conclave and other captains would take the initiative. Mieko's want to better her bank of understanding and even increase the vessel number of the Migrant Fleet showed initiative to the _Idenna_'s captain.

"I've gotten permission to scale down the number aboard to eighty people, mostly necessary crew and security, to search unknown regions of space for an uninhabited home-world or even Reapers. Perhaps you leaving for a second Pilgrimage will serve those who stay behind and furthermore, perhaps help us find a way to control our Ancestors' creations." He paused for a moment before continuing, "A few volus diplomats have made their impatience with our presence known to the Citadel Council but the Conclave doubts they will act, as they are still concerned with re-establishing the Citadel to its original structure status."

Sighing Mal continued, the diplomatic discussion not entirely required but figured to be a useful tid-bit for the departing officer, "Our deal with the volus was that if they gave us a turian cruiser and repair resources, that we would leave their system in the next few days. Keep in mind as you travel on your pilgrimage that the separation of vessels from the Fleet may require you return sooner than you would prefer, but hopefully attack will not befall the Flotilla before you have found what it is you're looking for, Mieko."

Placing a hand on her shoulder in a sign of comfortable Captain-to-security officer affection, Mal smiled and nodded as Mieko's hands tensed excitedly. "Thank you, Sir. And may you find what you're looking for, I only wish that I could be in two places at once and assist your search."

"It would have been nice to have you aboard, Mieko. But if you are to seek out more understanding before being assigned to another ship, you should go say farewell to your family and be ready to board the _Leviath_ within the next few hours." Nodding her thanks once again and parting the Captain's ready-room, Mieko couldn't help but smile in a jester's fashion behind her mask - she would be off the _Idenna_ and away with Altaea within the hour! _Such fortune is surely testimate to us one day fulfilling our dream!_

The giddiness concealed by her helmet was very much her fashion when thoughts of Altaea were occurring - Mieko was deeply in love with the young girl. So much so that she'd willingly given up her unwanted life aboard the _Idenna_ for a chance to procure a small vessel and live the life of free-agents with her lover. Both being skilled with weapons technology, they were stand-up fighters and though she was young - Altaea was nothing short of an amazing person. With the cunning she possessed, Mieko had no doubts that they'd have their own vessel in as little as a human year.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The message beeped through Altaea's omni-tool and she could barely contain her glee when she heard her lover's voice exclaim her request's admittance. "We're to leave on the _Leviath_ in an hour's time. I'll be saying goodbye to Varn and Malo then I'll meet you on the trading deck... I love you, Aea." The nickname was something they usually only used when in private, to avoid speculation about their relationship, but the last four words were filled with glee and affection as the message beeped to a finish.

Turning off her glowing, orange and blue omni-tool, Altaea dropped another item into her pack that she knew would gather trade-credits on Omega, their first stop once away from the _Idenna_ and their transport ship.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I wanted this fanfic to be from a fresh point of view in the Mass Effect universe. Altaea is very much the anti-hero whereas Shepard (who I think is better as a girl), was the hero of many other fanfics. I liked the idea of taking a new character and throwing her into a scenario that would expose the Mass Effect universe from a new angle and shed light on how a non-orthodox quarian might be (aside from Golo of course). By the way, their names are pronounced All-tay-ya and Mee-echo. ^_^ But don't get too accustomed to having just Altaea and Mieko about - things will get even more interesting in future chapters, guaranteed! ^_0


	2. Chapter 2 Noveria Please

Title: MASS EFFECT: Infinity

Author: Shay L. {FableHeroess117}

Category: Action/Romance

Rating: M for Mature

Series: Mass Effect

SPOILER ALERT

Disclaimer: Bioware owns the Intellectual Property _Mass Effect_ and all of its concepts therein. This fanfic is for entertainment purposes only and is not profited from.

MASS EFFECT: Infinity

Chapter 2 - _Noveria Please_

The _Leviath_ was a small transport ship, one usually used by the _Idenna_ and the _Gantrum_ as a means to get quarians starting their pilgrimages and exiles from the two large ships to planet-side or space stations. On this particular vessel, the Captain was a quarian of strange standards. His name was Philu.

Unlike most quarians, Philu stood as a short, standing at just under five feet in height and weighing upwards of twenty pounds more than the average quarian should. Beneath his form-fitting enviro-suit, Altaea and Mieko noted he had what human would call a 'beer belly'. The plumpness of his midsection leaving no doubt in their mind that when Philu frequented planet-side or space stations; he was getting as much purified turian cuisine as he could purchase.

"Welcome aboard, ladies. I'll be piloting this vessel for the entirety of the trip," The loose sarcasm and cocky way he spoke suggested he'd spent some time amongst humans - a rarety considering his occupation in regards to the two Migrant Fleet ships. "If at any time you wish for me to make a course correction, please state it now to my XO - because I ain't turning around until it's time to meet up with the Flotilla again." He laughed wheezily behind his face plate and held his gut with one hand, the two female quarians, and his only passangers aside from three other crew members, stared at him stand-off-ishly. "Now, if you'll be so kind as to talk out destination and protocol with my XO, we'll part ways with the _Idenna_ and get the hell out of here." With that the short, fat quarian man moved into the small bridge of the trasnport ship and closed the door behind him, shutting off his booming laughter as he did.

Mieko turned to the young girl standing next to her and smiled behind her mask, "Well, that was interesting." She let out a small laugh as Altaea shook her head and rolled her eyes, a smile to match Mieko's plastered on her features. The ship had three decks, an engine monitoring section and three, prong-like FTL engines jutting off the back in a fashion that reminded Altaea of images she'd once seen of the Citadel. Though the ship was capable of Faster Than Light speed, the need for three engines was derived from their need to be relieved - being a decommissioned transport ship, it had a strain point that needed constant monitoring if the ship didn't want to explode.

Of the three crew members of the _Leviath_, only one was on the first deck with them, she was the XO and was getting together a collection of information for their only two passangers. Keeping a few feet between them to avoid suspicion of their relationship, Altaea and Mieko moved toward the XO when they were beckoned.

"Okay, I need a general idea about where you each want to go. I understand, by a message from Captain Mal, that both you are on your pilgrimage though one is for the _second_ time." The middle-aged quarian woman raised her gaze from her omni-tool to look at both the other women and decidedly rested her eyes on Mieko. "Note that we need to make a stop in the Pax System. The volus diplomat Haresh Tyon has given the Flotilla a shipment of lifted Binary Helix medicines. Apparently the volus were going to use the shipment as a bargaining chip when they heard we'd be arriving in their system, but unfortunately for them we showed up early." The woman shifted her weight from her left to her right and Altaea couldn't help but watch the soft body move so easily, her head tilted slightly until Mieko gave her a nudge.

"What?" She mouthed silently with a shrug, the word escaping her air-filtration system in a zinging whisper. Altaea couldn't help but smile behind her mask, Mieko was obviously jealous of the look her lover had given the XO of the _Leviath_, "Sorry." She said in a playful whisper.

The moment went almost unnoticed by the XO, "Basically, we got here early, they put together some bargaining chips and in the end we asked for more than usual because of Mal's accepted request to leave the Flottila with the _Idenna_. As part of the deal Tyon promised a large shipment of genetic stimulation packages and disease fighting boosters that he purchased from batarians." Under any circumstances the batarians were rarely trusted seeing as they hated the Citadel Council for not assisting when the humans began colonizing the Skyllian Verge, so they outcasted themselves and became violent thugs and pirates. But seeing as the quarians too were outcasts - they often got along when it came to business transactions that lead to more adoptable tech for the Flotilla.

"That's perfect." Altaea spoke up, "We were hoping to be dropped as near to Noveria as possible." Mieko gave her lover a sideways glance but the other ignored her with a smile, "My mother stopped there on her pilgrimage - I hear it's a good place to find experiment goods from the right people. From there we're hoping to grab a transport vessel to Omega." The last statement was almost self-incriminating, seeing as it showed Altaea was willing to get things on the brink of illegal from trade players of Noveria and then move to the lawless Omega, but the XO took little notice.

The XO eyed the two women silently for a moment, "Noveria and Omega, huh?" For a moment it seemed as if she might refuse them transport with the plan to go to such a dangerous portion of space, it was dangerous enough that they were meeting batarians who might turn out to be slavers or thugs, but leaving quarians on a planet in the lawless system was bad news. Especially if they were inexperienced fighters, like most who seek out their pilgrimage at first.

"That's where the batarians' export dock is. We're supposed to arrive there in two days time, FTL for a good portion of the trip. We'll be traveling through two relays between here and the Pax System, so should you change your mind along the way, please make note of where we are when your change of heart takes place." She beeped a few buttons on her holographic omni-tool then raised her arm as if to ask them to step aside so she might lead them to another part of the ship. "Now, if you'll both follow me, I'll show you to your quarters. Be aware that the ship is uncontaminated, so removal of your enviro-suits is permitted but only if you both pass with a clear bill of health. You will be sharing quarters I'm afraid because we need the extra room for the shipments we're picking up and we can't afford to wait on one or both you to vacate the second room."

Following the XO to a servo-elevator door, they moved in behind the woman so they stood in a triangle; the XO in front facing the door with the two others behind her facing the same direction. They exchanged excited looks and Altaea playfully gave her lover's behind a pinch, which brought on a small squeak and a slap to her three fingered hand. The XO turned to look at them over her shoulder but when she did so the two were standing a foot or so apart with their hands at their sides. "Also, food will be made available to you throughout the journey but be aware that rations are limited to standard portions - no extras." She returned to facing the door that after moving downward to the next deck opened to reveal a digital sign just beyond the servo elevator reading 'Deck 2 - Quarters, Mess & Medbay'.

_I can't wait to get this stupid suit off!_ The thought rang through Altaea impatiently as she reminded herself of the scanning and bloodwork required before removal of ones enviro-suit was permitted aboard a clean ship.

The XO walked forward, the others in toe, and lead them swiftly to the medbay after they passed four doors to personell quarters and two offshootings corridors of restrooms, civilian quarters and exile cells. The pressurized door to the medbay sighed open from the middle outward in four panels before they moved fully into the medium sized room. There was a medical bed, chairs, a conceament chamber, two stations with extranet capabilites and a quarian man in a dark blue enviro-suit with white straps and tribal markings on it. He was obviously the physician.

"Ah, civilians." He was a warm and cheery man, to say the least, but the way he moved suggested he had the elegance of an asari - each motion seemed precalculated as he closed the gap to a yard. "I've got them from here, Nili." The XO nodded, closed her omni-tool and turned to leave.

"The doctor will show you to your quarters when you're finished here." With that XO Nili was making her way back to bridge deck and leaving them alone with the doctor.

Both fidgeted with their hands at the idea of a man touching them, especially Altaea, who'd only ever been intimate with a woman before and previously had female physicians. "Don't worry. This will be painless. All I need to do is get you each into the concealment chamber for a bacterial screening and once you're done we'll get some blood work. After that it's a simple matter of getting you to your quarters." As he finished the three of them could feel the transport ship disengage the landing bay clamps from its exterior hull, "See, journey is already underway."

Altaea gave a small cough behind her mask and was quickly given a hard stare by the doctor, "I'm just nervous." Suddenly her heart rate increased as she realized that if she had caught a small ailment aboard the _Idenna_ as a child from not wearing her helmet as often as she should have - she might not get to take her suit off aboard the ship. Leaving her with no option of intimacy with Mieko until they could get their own sterile ship.

The doctor smiled again behind his face plate, "Oh, well, there's really no reason to be nervous. Perhaps Mieko'Jaa would demonstrate for you? She's been aboard this vessel once before, isn't that right Mieko?" The older of the two women nodded slowly and laughed, though Altaea could recognize she was a bit jittery behind her laugh, something only a significant other could recognize from time alone together.

"Yes, Doctor Aolen is kind Altaea. I'll go through the chamber to show-"

"No, I want to go first." A sudden burst of honest courage came over her; Altaea wanted to go first to prove that she wouldn't be coddled like a scared child from the start - she was capable of doing anything if she put her mind to it. "What do I have to do?"

"Alright then." Aolen nodded slowly, he hadn't been expecting the young girl to be so eager to prove herself grown, having heard she was only 17 earth years old. Most girls her age would not be ready for leaving their birth ship let alone taking their enviro-suits off for a complete stranger. "Come over here, please." The two women didn't exchange a look or give a confident touch of the hand, Altaea simply walked forward with Aolen to the concealment chamber's pressurized door, entered into the two by two space and turned to face him as the door made an air-tight seal again.

"This may alarm you at first, Altaea, but just remember that I'm a doctor. And if Mieko's presence upsets you, don't be afraid to speak up and I'll have her wait in the corridor." The doctor was holding down a intercom button that lead into the chamber where Altaea stood, waiting for further instruction. After the young girl nodded, Aolen continued in a professional manner, "I need you to take off your helmet first, please, and put it into the designated compartment in the wall to your left."

Altaea did as she was told almost immediately. She undid the head-dress clasps, opened the face plate and then detached the helmet completely from the enviro-suit with a hiss as the air-intake hose separated. Her lavender gaze fell on the two inlet compartments to her left and she realized she would have to remove her enviro-suit completely. "She'll finally she me..." The words escaped quietly from her pouty lips in a singular voice she was much more fond of and she looked out beyond Aolen to Mieko, who was standing with her hands resting on her lower back. The woman had only ever felt Altaea's naked form, never seen it in full light as it was to be exposed now.

"What was that, Altaea?" Doctor Aolen noted her mouth moving and smiled in a oh-so-doctorly fashion.

The young girl held down the intercom button on the wall near the compartments, "Nothing, I was merely making note of the smell in here. It's nice." The lie went unchecked as the doctor smiled stupidly behind his face plate and then strode to the station directly next to the chamber on her right side. When she took her hands away from the helmet now laying in the first compartment, a small door closed and the unmistakable sound of a mass effect field forced into the little area was exposing any bacteria to the computer at the doctor's station.

"Compartment one, clear." A female voice rang out softly over the intercom systems both in and outside the chamber. If she hadn't been so focused on what she was doing, Altaea might have wondered what the woman who originally synthesized her voice into computer use might have looked like and whether she was beautiful. But no, instead she looked from the smiling doctor to the waiting Mieko, her hands now at her sides as she secretly longed for Altaea to remove her suit.

"Alright, Altaea. Now for the hard part. I'm going to need you to remove your enviro-suit and stand with her hands on your head after you put it in the compartment. Understand?" She nodded and undid the first clasp and buckle system on the back of her neck that held that neck piece in place. The tiny hairs on her body stood on end as sterilized air pressed in where the suit released the neck piece. Then she undid the two straps beneath her breasts and the one crossing from her right shoulder over her chest to her left side. From there it was a simple matter of undoing a few arm clasps, zippers, her belt and two more straps on her upper thighs. After all the holding mechanisms were undone, her suit was holding onto her suit merely because it was fit to mold her frame perfectly, she had to remove her two-toed boots and peel the suit from her skin.

"Good, now - before you take it off. Would you like Mieko to leave?" Staring blankly from the doctor to the love of her life, the girl shook her head and proceeded to pull off the tight flexible clothe starting with the torso. When the fabric was pulled up over her head, off her arms and then downward, her full breasts fell from their casing, her white-pink nipples hardening under the coolness in the chamber. As she bent forward to pull the fabric from one leg then the other, she exposed her full form to those outside the chamber. Her skin was a milky white-pink coloring, her veins just visible beneath it due to lack of true sunlight as opposed to the artificial light on the _Idenna_. Goosebumps had broken out on her whole form by the time she removed the suit and placed it in the designated compartment, all the while she didn't look at Mieko or the doctor.

"Excellent job, Altaea. Just give it a moment to scan and you can put it back on." The doctor's voice was heard but not acknowledged as Altaea stood stalk naked in the chamber, everything from her full breasts to the small patch of dark blue pubic hair was in full view. She was in excellent condition from training with Mieko and other security officers aboard the _Idenna_ and she carried herself strongly but elegantly. Altaea's shoulders were narrow, her thin and toned core lead down to her wide hips and strong backside until one gazed upon her strong, thin legs; she was an excellent specimen. And even though her hair was short and spiked up everywhere from removing her helmet, she still had a feminine beauty about her that was unmistakble.

The sound of the computer's decidedly female voice brought Altaea's attention back to the task at hand instead of thoughts of when she'd last been naked before her lover. They'd been alone in a utility closet that held supplies for the quaranteen teams and though they were in complete darkness they touched one another as if they'd seen each other with the lights on before. Mieko finally caught the younger's gaze, gasped silently at the beauty before her and nodded slowly, as if to say, 'You're gorgeous and yes, we'll be alone later.' Altaea couldn't help but smile and reveal her straight white teeth, the lower and upper canines slightly longer and sharper than those of the human species.

Aolen spoke up, "Altaea, you've got to put your hands on the top of your head, please." Doing as instructed, she put her three fingered hands on top of her head, her young breasts rising on the sides and giving them an even more alluring shape. Raising her arms also revealed hair-less armpits, something that came from years of breeding aboard climate-controlled ships, though almost non-existant pubic hair was still common.

A blast of misty, white air entered into the chamber and almost made Altaea cry out with surprise as it hit her skin, instead she held her breath as it filled the chamber and hid her completely from view. The air was cold and had no odor but she knew it to be a sort of lubricant for the mass effect field that would enable a bacterial scan of her whole body to commence. The chemicals in the misty air gathered on her skin and prevented exposure to the mass effect field from leaving behind high levels of static electricity and kinetic energy in non-biotics. In the privacy of being naked in the misty, white air, Altaea closed her eyes and bit down on her lower lip gently, feeling more comfortable naked on a strange ship than she had her whole life on her birth ship.

With a sigh the misty air was sucked from the chamber and the mass effect field passed through, the computer spoke one final time, "Scan shows no sign of bacteria or disease, you may put on your environmental suit now." Altaea opened her lavender eyes, put her hands down and pulled her suit back on when the compartments opened, though she simply held her helmet as she exited the chamber. Whereas some would have felt the nakedness exposing and uncomfortable, Altaea felt proud of her figure and the longing she had to see her love's form as well.

"Alright, Mieko. Your turn." It seemed that it took less time for Mieko's cycle in the chamber to commence, perhaps because Altaea was watching from outside this time, and in only a few moments the older was pulling off her suit. Mieko's breasts were smaller than her lover's and she had a few scars on her arms and one large one upper thigh, but other than that she was in prestine condition. Having served actively aboard the _Idenna_ for years and trained for many years before that on her pilgrimage, the older woman was in unbelievably good shape. Her white flesh crawled with goosebumps as Altaea's had, but her face flushed with embarassment as she remembered a small series of scars on her left breast that resembled a perfect bite-mark, her smile not getting past Aolen.

"Everybody's got love scars, Mieko. Some are just more physical than others." He looked at her from over the brim of his air-filtration system with a knowing smile that other species unaccustomed to the masks might have missed. Aolen hadn't put the marks there, but guessing by the tone of his voice and the smile on his face, the scar hadn't been upon Mieko's breast the last time this scan had been done.

Altaea took the time as they waited for the misted air to be pushed into the chamber, to take in her lover's features. Mieko had large gray eyes with hints of blue on their edges, her hair fell to her slender shoulders in soft curles that gave her silvery-blue hair body and her flesh had the same vien revealing tendencies as all quarians'. The scars on her frame were from both battle and Altaea feeding her love's masochistic appetite. Mieko practically lost her mind when she was bitten, slapped or cut, and Altaea, being a sado-masochist, was only too happy to ablige to her requests for physical abuse. The woman would never have trusted or ever loved Varn enough to want him to bring about her pleasure through pain - she hated that man. But when alone, the older woman would practically beg and plead for her lover to scratch, bite and pull her wavy hair.

Again a hiss presented the air and the young quarian's mind held to the image of Mieko's naked frame though she couldn't see her behind the white chemicals in the chamber. Within a few seconds it seemed that Mieko was out of the chamber, clothed save her helmet and the two were following the doctor to the medical bed.

Standing next to the bed, Aolen pat its white meshed surface with his three fingered hand, "Who wants to take the blood test first?" The women exchanged a glance and smirked, both blushing though for what reason neither could say, "Alright, how about Mieko goes first this time?" Though it seemed fake, as most doctors' did, Aolen's bed-side manner was bright despite his having worked aboard the same decommisioned vessel for many earth years.

Mieko nodded, her now free locks of white-blue hair bouncing about in an alluring manner that caught the eye of both the other quarians, a rush of jealous anger coming over Altaea though it didn't show on her face. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, scooted back with a small shimmy and smiled softly at the doctor as he readied a hypo-spray class surringe. "Same as last time, Aolen?" The way she spoke the name made her girlfriend even more jealous, the knowledge that they'd known each other before making her mad.

"Same as last time, yes." Aolen placed two fingers on the left side of Mieko's throat gently, then used his aposable thumb to turn her head to her right, exposing the flesh from her jawline to the edge of her suit just above her collar bone. Mieko closed her eyes and Altaea had to clench her fist and gnash her teeth to fight the urge to reach forward and tear Aolen from her lover - contact was meant to be between lovers, not outsiders such as doctors.

The surringe made contact with Mieko's fair skin just above the neck of the suit, creating a small dimple in the flesh before pressing all the way through, making the woman gasp with a mixture of obvious pain and pleasure. Obviously Aolen was aware that the woman on the examination bed was a masochist because he only smirked to himself and looked at her face, the extraction of blood into the surringe chamber being accompanied by a small 'nph' of pleasure from Mieko.

"That's quite enough blood isn't it?" Altaea spoke up before her better judgment could stop her, her voice just this side of an angry slur, "The test doesn't require a whole lot as I remember from the pre-training examinations." Aolen turned and faced the young quarian girl and smiled with a nod, taking the surringe from Mieko's neck and covering it with a piece of sterile gauz.

"Quite right, Altaea. I just prefer to get a little more than is necessary for the test so there is some left for continued bio-scans; simply a precaution I take." The words were nothing but false bed-side manner again, this man had known Mieko before Altaea and the girl knew there was something he sought from her girlfriend - even if Mieko didn't see it.

The older woman opened her eyes again and bit her lip in a needy fashion, her gaze falling on Altaea as she pressed a finger to the gauz and once again shimmied of the examination bed. "You're up then, Altaea." The sultry was she spoke almost made her lover forget her jealousy but it returned when she slid past the woman to sit on the bed, Aolen suddenly being a lot less cheerful.

Brashly the man stuck the surringe head into the girl's throat without turning her head gently or anything, a sheer sign that he wished her neck to bruise - _jerk-off._ Altaea's expression pulled towards her nose, her navy brows furrowed, her lips pulled back or gnashing teeth, "So much for no pain, huh?" The young quarian's patience was growing thin with the physician and now all she could think of as her blood was pulled into the chamber were vicious day-dreams of how best to remove his man-hood.

After only a few seconds of drawing blood, Aolen smiled broadly, and somewhat sarcastically, and pulled the surringe out, "All set, I'll have the test results in a few hours and let you both know how it went, though I doubt either of you are harboring intestinal parasites." He laughed behind his mask openly, handing Altaea the gauz to cover the needle-hole as opposed to pressing it there for her to start.

_I'm going to kill him, it's as simple as that - I'm going to kill him and splatter his remains through a mass effect bubble to the nearest burning star. I swear!_ Altaea's thoughts were dark as they were guided by the smiling doctor to their quarters. Mieko's expression one of having just been kissed ravishingly and coming back from it slowly - making her girlfriend hate the doctor even more.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"If you need anything don't hesitate to call either myself or XO Nili. The other crew and our Captain will be less inclined to help you." Aolen's parting words left Altaea and Mieko in their newly aquired quarters, the excitement in the air almost unbearable. The room was a small open area of about twenty feet by twenty three feet, with one large bed, a computer station, a bathroom outlet and a drink synthesizer in the wall nearest the automated door.

Slowly Altaea reached up and pressed the digital touch-screen panel to lock the door, her expression one of barely contained glee as she threw her helmet to the bed and laughed as she saw Mieko do the same. Both rushed forward and closed the four foot gap between them, the older's arms wrapping about Altaea's neck, and being the taller of the two, she lifted her up into the air. She swung the beautiful woman two-hundred degrees before stopping, Mieko's knees bent up with her feet off the ground.

They shared a long and love-filled kiss before they separated in a need for air, "We did it!" Mieko's eyes were filling with milky tears of unabashed happiness, "We can be together now, oh thank the Ancestors!" Putting her feet on the ground, she kissed Altaea's pouty lips again and again as the tears fell and mingled on her palor cheeks. "I'll never have to see Varn again. And Malo won't see how I hate that he exists. This is wonderful!" The ex-security officer's words were revelational until she got to the end and her demeanor changed, a gloved hand running gently through her hair as she looked at the woman she loved.

"And to think... I almost stayed." The hum of the transport ship slipping into FTL speeds gave them the last piece of solidification that they needed - they were away from the Migrant Fleet and on their way to the freedom their people had thrown away in place of beggary rights.

Altaea was happy to be away from the Flotilla but at the same time she knew they'd never truly be away from it until they had their own ship and were making names for themselves independent of their birthplace. "I would not have let you stay, love. I've known for some time that you needed to get away from that fleet of subsidiary poeple as badly as I did; but now we're on our way to Noveria." The last word ended on a higher tone as she tucked a locke of Mieko's white-blue hair behind a pale ear that turned toward her skull at its tip, "And from there things will only get better." Again they kissed, Altaea's teeth biting down gently on Mieko's lower lip to get the desired reaction - a soft moan. The younger forgetting completely about the bruise rising on her own neck or the pleasure her girlfriend had gotten at the hands of the disgustingly fake physician.

But the moment didn't last long. Suddenly Mieko's eyes opened once again and she pulled her face away from the younger woman's. "Aea, why are we going to Noveria? I thought we were going to Omega right off?"

Realizing that she'd skimped on full details, Altaea took the other's hand and they sat on the foot of the large, raised bed. "Okay, I've been collecting information on both Omega and Noveria for quite some time now. I know I said we were going to Omega to sell off the items taken from the _Idenna_ and from there we would gain transport on a Lystheni salarian ship to the Attican Traverse where we'll commendeer a ship of our own."

"Yes, that is what you said, but I'm confused by our need to stop on Noveria? You never mentioned the planet before now. Did your parents have a contact there or something?" Mieko's tone wasn't accusing so much as honestly confused.

Altaea smiled softly though her tone was direct, "Whereas Omega is the melting pot for trading and constant conflict - Noveria is a quiet and secretive place that will allow us to meet up with someone very important." Mieko's silver brows furrowed and the other couldn't help but find her adorable but at the same time hopeless, "I've been transmitting messages back and forth on a piggy-backed mechanic's link to a human on Noveria who says he works for a man known only as 'The Illusive Man'. From what I've gathered thus far he is the face of a human radical supremecy group known as Cerberus, and he is very powerful. But the affiliation the human has with the Illusive Man is a very devoted one and he needs something from me that will ensure he is looked brightly upon by his superior."

"What could a human supremecy group possibly want from you?" Mieko's sultry voice held a sarcasm that made her both irritating and irresistable at the same time. "What is this human's name and do you think you can even trust him?"

"I know I can trust him because I've struck a deal with him that will ensure our safety once we meet with him. Aside from his Cerberus association, he's a smuggler on Noveria - which might lead to immunity stimulants and medicines in our future, his name is Leon Cleaver." Altaea sat up a little straighter as she said his name, preparing herself to go into extended detail of their deal. "If things play out right, we will give him the frequency codes for the Migrant Fleet life-ships and in exchange he will ensure we procure a Cord-Hislop Aerospace starship of our own and any supplies we might need. After acquiring our ship we'll make our way to Omega, set up a standing there with a few exiles and perhaps build a small fortune for ourselves as the batarians have."

Mieko's features brightened up when her lover spoke of a ship of their own - a dream they'd shared for almost an earth year. "The thing that ensures our safety is that at any time the codes change, he will contact us and we will approach the Flotilla as having finished both our pilgrimages." At this the older woman looked worried, "Don't worry, we won't really return, we'll only be called away by Leon's associates stating that they have a trading offer to make with us specifically - the Fleet would be stupid not to let us take advantage of the 'opportunity'. Once we're away from the Fleet to 'commence trade options', we'll just fall off the Fleet's radar as having been killed or something and our ship will be standing by in a nearby system." Altaea spoke gently as if to a child, "Cerberus will be our beginning ticket and the links we make now with Cleaver will ensure a future where infiltrating the Fleet will be easily acheived for theft."

Mieko took in the information slowly and looked down at her hands, a sheer sign that she was unsure of her place amongst the deal. Altaea sensed the confusion once again in her girlfriend and placed her hands on the outside of the older woman's upper thighs. Pulling Mieko towards her, Altaea separated the woman's legs so that she sat between them with one strong limb on the bed and the other dangling off her own bent leg. The girl put a hand on her lover's face and pulled her into a soft kiss, "Don't worry, my Esoa." Esoa meaning beloved in pure quarian, "This plan has been in effect for almost a month - I've been preparing since the last time we were intimate. I knew this would be our only sure way to escape but return to the Flotilla for supplies without exile labels. If we are to settle into a bandit's lifestyle - we might as well prepare the plans for future theft of our own people's valuables, though hideously recycled they may be."

The older woman smiled softly, her own hand resting on the rist of Altaea's, "I trust you will make this deal work out, Aea." Mieko half-smiled to show she was still unsure of their plans but would follow her lover into the Perseus Veil if it meant they could be together. "I love you."

Altaea closed the gap between their lips once again, her canines finding her girlfriend's lower lip again, only this time drawing a small amount of blood and a whimper of glee from the lips' owner. Giggling, Mieko leaned back slowly, pulling the girl with her and continuing to kiss her passionately. Altaea lay atop her lover, the woman's legs bent up on either of her sides, pulling her closer. "Oea tis narun kis sotar, Mieko." Loosely translated her loving words meant, 'I've needed you forever, Mieko'. The words were filled with longing and the love they felt for each other could reach to a place most never reached.

Turning over quite unexpectedly, Mieko pinned her lover to the bed and pressed her body against her, their suits hindering how close they could get to one another. She reached beneath her lover and undid the straps that were now only loosely fassened after the examination, pulling the neck piece and the torso portion of Altaea's enviro-suit off in a practiced few seconds. They laughed lightly as Mieko pulled the fabric over her lover's head and then quickly returned to kissing the now partially freed quarian girl.

Every brush of the flesh, the feeling of Mieko's gloved hands on her now bare breasts made the girl breathe heavier and heavier, her eyes closed against the biting kisses. Usually it was Altaea who was the aggressor, taking control of the other woman and biting her body wherever she got the most reaction, but today the roles were reversed. The white-blue haired woman kissed the other's lips, jaw bone then slowly made her way downward to her throat, collar bone and eventually to the comfortably large mound of Altaea's left breast. They were sprawled on the middle of the bed with just enough room on all sides to move about a little, but as Mieko slid her tongue over her girlfriend's hard white-pink nipple, she arched her frame against the girl and slid her legs to the end of the bed.

Using her knees, Mieko pulled herself slowly towards the end of the large bed, her mouth planting small licks, bites and kisses on the full breasts and toned stomach before her. Altaea had put one of her hands loosely into her girlfriend's wavy lockes while the other extended to grip the soft pillow a few inches from her head. Small sounds of longing pressed through her lips as she bit down hard on the lower one, each noise accompanied by a hard squeeze of the pillow and a small squirm beneath her lover.

Mieko was undoing the younger's belt as her tongue found Altaea's soft navel and moved in a small circle around it before moving downward to meet the lower portion of her enviro-suit. Despite having to wear an enviro-suit all the time, hygeine was maintained by thin layers of refreshing air, purified water and antiperspirants; leaving quarians with a smell and softness akin to that of a freshly bathed child. The younger of the two quarians, however, prefered to keep a certain type of antiperspirants in her enviro-suit layers that made her smell of flowers from their ancestors' homeworld, the soft scents enticing to her girlfriend to no end. The chemicals from their examination would have already been cleansed away by their suits after only a few minutes.

Biting suddenly on Altaea's toned side, getting a loud gasp and giggle from her girlfriend, Mieko slid her knees to the floor and used both hands to start prying the fabric from the girl's hips. She gave the clothe such a tug that might remind an onlooker of a child tearing away the wrapping paper of a holiday or birthday gift.

As if some universal content sensor were going passed and disapproving of their actions, a beeping sounded from Altaea's omni-tool, a groan finding the girl's throat in place of her pleasured sighs and moans. Rubbing her features she looked down just in time to see Mieko's head of white-blue hair bounce into view with a disappointed frown, making her laugh at the adorableness of the expression, Altaea sat up. Her bare and full breasts hung from her body in a youthful manner that made Mieko smile as she put her face between them, pulled the girl to the end of the bed and wrapped her arms around Altaea's torso from her place kneeling on the floor.

Altaea put a loving hand in her girlfriend's hair, her body aching to continue to be touched, before pressing a series of buttons that would bring up the message she'd recieved. "_**New message from L. C. Honard, system - Pax, planet - Noveria**_." The voice was that of a synthesized quarian man's, though if she'd had her way Altaea would have synthesized the voice of the woman kissing and gently biting her breasts.

A sharp moan of pleasure escaped Altaea's lips just as she pressed the blue, holographic that would allow them to listen to the new message from her new business associate. Her eyes hung lazily at half-mast as Mieko sucked at her right nipple, the sensation making them both breathe heavier and heavier as they waited for the message to sound.

"_**Altaea'Rit nar Idenna, I have some interesting news that must be tended to immediately. There have been changes to the agreement, though I'm sure reembersment will be to your liking. Contact me as soon as is possible - I'll be waiting.**_"

Just as soon as the message had started it seemed to be over and Altaea, half-distracted by the woman between her legs running her tongue over her breasts, was forced to listen to it again before she popped back to the present reality. "Wait... Changes of the agreement!? What the hell!?" Her voice cut through the silence aside from the soft sounds of Mieko's mouth at work, and the younger's navy brows furrowed momentarily. "Mieko, I'll need a moment. You may stay where you are, Esoa, but please do not distract me - our vessel may depend on getting this deal to go through." As she spoke the blue haired girl smiled softly at her lover and cupped her chin gently before turning her attention fully to her omni-tool while Mieko simply sat there with her arms resting atop Altaea's long legs.

Pressing a series of holographic buttons, she spoke loudly and confidently, though in a way that would not give away details to those who might intercept the message. "Cleaver, changes to the agreement were deemed unauthorized when you approached me. Though, if changes will be beneficial to those parties, then I will allow the changes to be gone over and possibly considered for follow-through. Make no mistake - I will not be forced into a corner of any means. My ETA is in the range of two earth days' time, these matters of change can wait until I arrive."

With that the return message was piggy-backing its way on an extranet line that would pass through the comm bouys to their destination in a matter of a few earth hours. Closing her omni-tool, Altaea looked down at the woman kneeling before her on the floor, "Now, where were we?" Cocking a brow she smiled devishly and Mieko brought her hands to her lover's shoulders and began kissing her before she forced her to lay back with a quick shove.

"I do believe I was in the middle of freeing you from this terrible environmental suit." Her tone was playful and light, though in her eyes she was nothing but longing. She gripped the fabric hugging tight to Altaea's hips and gave a few more quick shoves that freed her from just below the navel all the way to her bent knees that hung her feet from the bed. Mieko felt a burning in her stomach just below her own navel that began to churn and soon she was tugging off her girlfriend's two-toed boots and the rest of the fabric. As she removed the suit from Altaea's feet, she took her time peeling the fabric slowly from each long finger-like toe before throwing the lower half of the suit on the floor with the torso portion.

Now laying naked before her girlfriend in the automated light of the room, Altaea flushed and giggled to herself in a school-girl fashion - being naked was something she loved almost as much as being naked in front of the woman she loved. Mieko was staring at the toned and youthful frame, her silvery eyes falling over Altaea's breasts, nipples, stomach and finally down to the small patch of navy blue pubic hair that was hardly there at all over her privates.

"Mieko, you make me blush just staring like that." The girl on her back smiled, sliding her hands over her own breasts and stomach to entice the other woman to get on with touching her, though in her mind she was nervous she wasn't what Mieko was hoping for.

Watching the soft hands of her girlfriend brush gently over the hardened nipples of her breasts, Mieko smirked and leaned forward with her hands on either of Altaea's strong thighs as she kissed her toned stomach. Beneath the gentle kisses the young quarian pressed against the soft lips and wriggled slightly as her flesh erupted in goosebumps again, her ariolas gaining a flushed pink look in place of their normally white-blue veininess like the rest of her frame.

Sliding her gloved hands over the tops of Altaea's thighs, to her waist and then to the sides of her rib cage, Mieko kissed lower and lower, occasionally running her tongue along her girlfriend's flesh. Looking up she saw that the younger girl had her eyes closed and seemed to be moaning and dancing gently on the bed to a song in her mind, though the reaction was purely from the contact with Mieko's tongue. To heighten the sensation the older blew gently on the area stretched before her, a gasp escaping Altaea as the cool air alighted her flesh where it was a little wet.

"Thank you for helping me escape that life, Aea." The words were replied to simply with a nod as the girl pressed her profile against the bed and smiled, Mieko freeing her hands from her gloves before she placed them, flesh against flesh, onto her thighs. The white-blue haired woman put her head between the younger's legs and began nibbling gently on the sensitive flesh, her right hand sliding from the girl's left hip bone down to the pleasure center of her frame. Mieko was just brushing the surface of the space between Altaea's lips and her thigh when the door beeped defiantly signalling that someone had attemtped to open it.

"No!" Altaea opened her eyes, feeling herself riled up but seemingly unable to appease her sexual needs because of those around them, slamming her fist against the bed. "Bless the ancestors, can't a girl have sex with her girlfriend!?" The words were growled as she sat up, her thighs still open before Mieko as she looked down at the gorgeous, but angry face peering towards the door seethingly. "Later Esoa, later." With that Mieko stood up reluctantly and sat on the bed to puto n her gloves while Altaea gathered her suit from the floor and went to the small bathroom nook where she began to re-dress.

"Let whoever it is in," She spoke to her lover from beyond the corner that hid her from the door, "And may they hope to their own ancestors I keep my patience with their reason for interupting!" The last bit was a silent growl as she finished pulling on the snug fabric and started fessening clasps, zippers and buckles for the second time in an earth hour.

Mieko unlocked the door verbally and stood to great whoever it was, "Come in."

As the four panels to the door were pulled in the direction of their corresponding corners, the face of Doctor Aolen smiled as he moved into the quarters. "I hope I'm not disturbing you ladies, but I've just finished my required duties for the day and was wondering if perhaps you were hungry." Aolen didn't have his helmet on and without it he was handsome, very dark and intelligent looking but by no means ugly. His smile creased the corners of his slightly thin lips, dark hair growing in what humans call a 'five o'clock shadow' about his mouth, his almond shaped blue-green eyes set atop a strong bone structure and beneath thick but not unpleasant looking black eyebrows. Overall he looked the part of an doctor and when he smiled, 'crows feet' were only just visible at the corners of his eyes though he was likely to be closing in on fifty-five or therein. Age was a difficult thing to guess off-hand by appearances in this day and age; medicines made it so that people from almost every race could prolong their youth and longevity by another half-life.

"Well, that's nice of you Aolen. Neither of us have _eaten_ for a while." The word 'eaten' was said in a higher tone that was meant to reach Altaea's ears in a double-meaning, one she caught immediately as she exited the bathroom nook fully clothed and put on a fake smile.

Standing next to Mieko, but not in a way that would give away their intimate relationship. "Yes, neither of us have had a thing to eat for some time, preparing for the voyage and whatnot." Though her tone was even and somewhat friendly, Altaea was distracted by the cleansing of her private parts, her suit cleaning up the wetness that had accumulated there. "Is there any turian cuisine or shall we be eating pre-packaged, sterile paste the whole trip?" She smiled sarcastically.

The sunny expression faltered on Aolen's face for a mere second before he caught himself, obviously he had meant he only wanted to take Mieko to get some food when he'd said 'wondering if perhaps you were hungry' meaning the older of the two women. But he settled into the obvious fact that the two women were friends of some kind and that if he wanted time with Mieko, surely Altaea was to join them. "Sterile turian cuisine is available but food paste is more widely accepted as the standard ration on this vessel, seeing as we don't get new food supplies until we return to the _Gantrum_ in four earth days."

With a nod he turned and the two followed when he gestured them to do so, "The food is not so bad so long as you both aren't too fond of having flavor." Behind him Altaea made a mock face in his direction and Mieko laughed, Aolen joining in though under the assumption that she was laughing lightly at his joke, not laughing at him being mocked.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Author's Note:

I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to be put up, readers. I was sick _ And not just your run-of-the-mill icky sick, I'm talking sinus infection, allergies and mild stomach bug all at once T_T But alas, I am well again and have once again found my muse. My 360 died back in February, Microsoft rest its soul, of the red ring of death. But my dad got me another for my birthday! ^__^ So now I've got direct access to Mass Effect the game again, and I am a plot-writing fool!! Cerberus, the Collectors, the Illusive Man - these many things will come together and more as the story unfolds!!

Lol, thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next will be even better!

Reviews are appreciated!! Even _**productive**_ criticisms! ^__^


End file.
